Anne de Joyeuse

Anne de Batarnay de Joyeuse (1560-20 October 1587) was the commander of the French Royalist army during the French Wars of Religion. In 1587, he was killed while surrendering to the Protestant army at the end of the Battle of Coutras.

Biography
Anne de Batarnay de Joyeuse was born in Ardeche, France in 1560, the brother of Cardinal Francois de Joyeuse, and he became a royal favorite of King Henry III of France. He became a member of the king's inner circle, and he accompanied his father on his annual expeditions against the Huguenots in Languedoc and Auvergne from 1577 onwards. In 1580, he took part in the Siege of Fere-en-Tardenois during the French Wars of Religion. In 1581, King Henry had Joyeuse marry into nobility so that he could elevate him to the title of Duke, and he became Grand Admiral of France on 1 June 1581. He served as governor of Normandy in 1583 and Le Havre in 1584, and he also governed Anjou and Alencon in the name of the king. In 1587, during a campaign in Poitou, he earned the displeasure of the king by massacring 800 Huguenots, and he sought to restore himself to the king's favor by leading a royalist army of 6,800 troops against Henry of Navarre's army at the Battle of Coutras in 1587. Joyeuse was captured, but he was killed in revenge for his massacre of innocent Protestants.